Tank-gage.



B. H. CAMDEN;

TANK GAGE. v I APPLICATION FILED JULY 3, 1912. LQ'MfiQQ. Patented 001;. 7, 1913.

'3 SHEETS-SHEET l M5; :HMW II M B. H. CAMDEN. TANK GAGE. APPLICATION FILED JULY 3, 1912 3 BBEET8-SHEET 2.

awuwvto'o ww Ber/70rd Patented Oct. 7, 1913.

B. CAMDEN.

TANK GAGE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 3, 1912.

,3 SEEETBSHBET 3.

Ill

BERNARD H. CAMDEN, O-F WIaSHilNGTQN, DISTRICT OF "COLUMBIA.

TANK-GBIGE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

1 Application filed July 3,1912. Serial No. 707,543.

To all wiiomit may concern Be it known that I, BERNARD H. CAMDEN,

citizen of the United States, residing at VVashington,in the District of Columbia, have invented new and useful improve, ments in Tank-'Gages,of which the follow- I ing is a specification.

is necessary.

In order that the invention may beunden stood by those skilled in the art, I have; illustrated in the accompanying .drawingsjl one embodiment thereof.

the tank to illustrate the fluid and air con- .nections with said tank. partly in section of a slightly different form of gage. Fig. 6 is a sectional view of a portion of the gage shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a cross sectional view of the gage shown in Fig-5. Fig. '8 is a plan view of the dial and index of the gage. Figs. 9 and 10 are detail views to show the construction'and manner of assembling the dial and the connected by pipe 11 with the tank 12, said .hodying features of my invention. Figs. 15 and 16 illustrate gages of different cross sec- 'tion made in accordance with my improve- .nient-s.

Referring to .thedrawings by numerals,

like numerals indicating like parts in the several views, 1.0-1nd1cat'es the gage, which is pipe 11 forming the fluid conduitbetween the gage and the tank. Within this fluid conduit 11 I preferably place the air pipe 13, one limb of which rises to the-top of the tank 12-and the other limb of which rises .to the top of the gage 10. By placing the V rectly in the tank.

In the drawings :-Figure 1 is a conventional view in'side'elevation of an auto- 5 mobile showing the application of my in-: vention thereto. Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view ofthe gage showing the interior ar-l .rangement. Fig. 3 is a cross sectional View, somewhat enlarged, of the gage shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view of Fig. 5 is .a view,

retest-seem. leis.

air pipe 13 within the fluid conduit 11, I

dispense with the necessity of tappingv the gageand tank twice, it being necessary only to provide one coupling for the fluid conduit or pipe 11 with the air pipe 13 traversing this conduit.

The gage 10 comprises the barrel or body portion provided at its top with a glazed cap plate and having at its bottom a plate as shown, which, together with the barrel portion oi the gage, term a tight receptacle,

= While Ihave shown a float barrel having a bottom plate, this being necessary where the gage .is a dash gage, such .bottom plate will, ofcourse, be omitted where the gage is di- Within this receptacle is mounted the float 14, provided cei trally with an opening to engage the spiral ribbon :15, so that, as the float rises and falls with the varying heights of the liquid, it will drive the spiral .15. The float 14: is held against rotation by the air pipe 18 which extends into thegage, this air interchange pipe having the additional function of a guide for the float, saidfloat 14:, asbest shown in Fig. 3, being slotted at oneside to can brace the pipe 13 which will preventrotation of the float and confine its movement to vertical rising and falling movements, this float being of buoyant material, such as wood, shellacked cork, or, ii. desired, a-

hollow buoyant body, so that it will float within the gage. Obviously, the rising and falling movements of the float 14 will effect a rotation of the spiral 15 which, in turn, will move the index finger 16 over the graduations of the gage plate 17, these graduations being laid oil so'asto indicate in gallons, or other suitable terms of measurement the amount of fluid in the tank 12.

The spiral .15 is suspended. entirely from a single top bearing and has no hearing at its lower end, the ribbon of which the spiral is made being simply turned over at right angles to its length, as indicated at 18, Fig. 6, after the float 14; has been threaded onto it to prevent the float dropping cit when the parts are disassembled, although the gage would function equally well if the spiral were not provided with this overturned end, but

were simply suspended from its top hearing as will be hereinafter described. The advantages of this suspension. of the. spiral 15 from v its upper end leaving its lower end free and vunattached, are that not only am I enabled to dispense with the necessity of forming a ut bearing at the lower end of the barrel,

also, and what is of more importance, is that there will be no'binding-of the float and spiral, if it should so happen that the spiral was slightly bent or distorted, for its lower end being free to move the float will travel up the spiral without any jamming,

even though the spiral be bent, and therefore,

the necessity for absolute trueness of the spiral longitudinally is avoided.

Instead'of guiding the float within the gage 10 by means of the air tube 13, I may utilize the construction shown in Figs. 5, 6-

I and fall and no rotation of the float can take shown in place.

ribs in Figs. 5 and 7, it will be obvious that one rib, as shown in Fig. 6, may be provided, although for the purpose of securing the dial -in place, as will be hereinafter pointed out, the two rib construction is regarded as-preferable. In the form of my invention Figs. 12,13 and 14;, a further modifieation of this float guiding means is shown,

and the tube in this case being slotted as at 20 to receive the fingers or projections 21 on the float and confine the float to a rising and falling movement and insure driving the spiral. Again, as shown in Figs. 15 and 16, I may secure this vertical movement of the float while preventing the rotation thereof by making the barrel of the gage non-.

circular in cross section. In Fig. 15 I have shown it as of polygonal form in cross section, so that the float cannot rotate about its axis, but is confined to the rising and falling movement, whilein Fig. 16 the barrel of the gage is elliptical in cross section, and the float is therefore confined against rotation, although free to rise and fall vertically.

As stated, the spiral 15 is suspended at the top so that the lower hearing may be entirely' dispensed with, and this suspension is accomplished by providing a bearing block 22 having a reduced portion 23 which passes through the center of the dial 17. The said block 22 receives the reduced end 25 of the spiral, and this reduced-3nd, as best shown in Figs. 8, 9 and 10,.is split, as at 26, the two ends of the split portion. 26 being reversely bent so as to suspend the spiral in place, and at the sametime clamp the index hand 16 in place, as shown in Figs. 8 and 10. IV hen thus assembled, the spiral 15 is hung from the dial 17 and the bearing bloek22 rotates with the spiral, said block and While I have shown two indented the top of the casing or tank in pointer 16 being driven as the spiral 1a rotates under the influence oi the float, the parts being-light and suflieiently supported without undue friction by the hub of the index 16 which is of adiameter slightly larger than the diameter of the opening in the barrel 17, and which rests upon the vitreous face of the dial 17 The necessity, therefore, for complicated supporting bearings for the suspended parts is done away with.

The dial 17 may be of any desired type, but it will refe'rably be a vitreous face top with suitab e graduations therein, anda convenient means of mounting and securing this dial is shown in Figs. 5 and 8, in which. form the dial is provided at its periphery with indentations 17 Pwhich may be formed when the dial is struck, or stamped out of the stock from which it is made, these indentations being so formed as to seat, as best shown in Fig. 5, in the upper ends, of the indented ribs 19 of the barrel, so that the dial will be securely held against rotation relative to the barrel.

The dial 17 may, if desired, be conveniently mounted in the manner shown in Fig.

11, in which the barrel 10 has its upper end spun inwardly as at 27'to'providean in- .turned flange on which thedial 17 may be my invention shown in Figs. 1 to 7, inclu sive, and Figs. 15 and 16, the tube of the gage is entirely closed, and itself forms the receptacle for the liquid, thus dispensing with the necessity of providing a gage inelosing thecasing, and invthese forms the cap plate 29 simply serves as a glazed closure for the topof the'gage. In the form shoun in Figs. 12 and 13, however, the gage is designed to be dropped into a 're-' eeiving casing or tank, the open slot and bottom of the gage body permitting the contained liquid in the casing or tank to act upon the float. and in this construction the cap plate of the gage body will be exteriorly threaded as at 30 to permit it to be seated-in a suitable receiving aperture in i which it is mounted.

\Vhile tank gages of the same general type have long been known, the construction which I have devised reduces the number of necessary parts and simplifies the construction and assembling of these parts,

dispensing with bearings and float guides heretofore deemed necessary, and minimizing the number or" parts, While at the same time preserving the efliciency of the device.

What I claim is 1. In a gage, the combination with a float barrel, of a nOn-rtatable float member in said barrel, an index actuating means suspended within said barrel in driving engagement with said float and having its lower end free and unattached to the barrel. 2. In agage, the combination with a float 7 barrel, of a non-rotatable float member in said barrel, and an index-actuating spiral suspended within said barrel in driving engagement with said float and having the lower end free and unattached.

3. In a gage, the combination with a float barrel, of a non-rotatable float in said barrel, a float driven spiral having a free unattached lower end, an 'indexplate at the top of said barrel, and a spiral suspension bearing carried by said index plate.

4:. In a gage, the combination with a float barrel having a dial-supporting ledge at its upper end, of a dial mounted on said ledge, a spiral mounted in a suspension bearing carried by said dial and having its lower end free and unattached, and a 'nonrotatslible floatin said barrel engaging said s n'a 5. In a gage, the combination with a float barrel having a ledge at its upper end, a dial, mounted on said ledge, a rotatable bearing block mounted centrally of said dial, a spiral suspended from said bearing block and havlng a free unattached lower end, and a non-rotatable float in said barrel piral having a reduced and split uppercnd engaging said bearing block, an index finger clamped to said bearing block by the spread ends of said split spiral, and a non-rotatable float in said barrel engaging said spiral.

8. In a float gage, the combination with a float barrel having a dial fixed at its upper end, a centrally placed bearing :block rotatably mounted in said fixed dial, a spiral having its upper end engaged with said bearing block to rotate therewith, an index finger carried by said block and spiral, and means for fastening said block, spiral, and index finger together.

9. In a gage, a float barrel comprising a liquid tight tube having an inwardly projecting longitudinally placed rib rolled in its wall, a glazed cap plate closing one end of said barrel, a bottom plate adapted to connect with the supply pipe closing the .other end of said barrel, a float in said barrel having a recess to engage said longitudinal rib, an index plate beneath said glazed cap plate, and afloat engaging spiral suspended from said index plate.

10. In a gage, a float barrel having an inwardly pnojecting. ri-b, a dial mounted at the top of said barrel, and interlocking means between said dial and said inwardly projecting rib to maintain the parts in a predetermined position.

11. In a gage, a float barrel having-an indented rib, a dial mounted at the top of said barrelhaving an interlocking projectlon at the periphery thereof to engage said indented rib, andmaintain the barrel and -dial in predetermined relation.

, 12.- In a gage, a float barrel having a rib rolled in the body thereof, a float in said barrel engaging the rib and guided there-v by, a dial mounted on the top ofsaid barrel and having a. projection thereon adapted to engage said rib and maintain said dial and barrel in predetermined relation.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses. j

- 'BERNARD'H. CAMDEN. /Vitnesses A. V. CusHIMAN, Gnn'rnuon M. STUCKER. 

